The Bath Skills Show is continuing its mission to shine a light on the amazing employment opportunities in and around the city.

Whether you’re looking for a career in the public or private sector, there are opportunities for you right on your doorstep.

Bath & North East Somerset Council employs apprentices in a vast range of roles which reflect the variety of services it offers.

Its apprenticeships are for anyone starting out on a career path. By combining work and training, apprentices gain the skills and experience needed to progress.

Above all, apprentices are passionate about building a successful career.

Joining the council as an apprentice, you can start with no formal qualifications and work your way toward a degree. It really helps to have the drive, commitment and ideas to succeed in a team environment.

B&NES Council has already had a large number of apprentices successfully complete its programme and many have gone on to secure jobs.

Its apprenticeships last for 12 months or longer, depending on the qualification.

As well as a competitive apprenticeship salary and nationally-recognised qualification, you can expect to receive the same benefits as any other job. These include flexible working, where possible, additional job-related training and coaching, a good holiday and pension package, and reduced membership rates to clubs and social activities.

The council has had apprentices working in all departments, from youth centres and economic development to waste services and highways.

Some of the apprenticeships, like business administration, marketing and accounting, give you skills to work across any employment sector.

Others help you to develop specific skills, such as working in HR, teaching or mechanics. Whether you are interested in working outdoors, supporting people, or working with numbers, there will be an apprenticeship route to suit you.

William Monachino-Ayers, business administration apprentice in the regeneration team, is already seeing the value of learning and earning as an apprentice.

“Every day brings a new challenge forcing me to push myself and work to my full potential,” William said.

“This is perfectly balanced with the support I receive from my friendly and always happy-to-help colleagues.

“The whole experience so far has been fantastic and I’m very glad I made the decision to do an apprenticeship with the council.”

The Ascentric team in Trimbridge House (Image: Northcliffe Media Ltd.)

And it’s not just the public sector that offer career-defining apprenticeships and work placements, many award-winning private sector businesses are eager to train up new talent to carry on their successes.

One such company is Ascentric.

The firm is one of the largest private sector employers in Bath and is part of the Royal London Group - the largest mutual life, pensions and investment company in the UK.

Bethan Williams is a second year business administration student at the University of Bath and is currently working as a digital marketing intern at Ascentric.

“I’ve only been part of the team for a short while and already I’ve been involved in various exciting projects,” said Bethan.

“For example, I’ve been encouraged to take the lead on re-launching Ascentric’s internal communication site - Yammer.

“Yammer works a bit like Facebook and allows staff to find out what’s happening across the organisation, encouraging them to get more involved within the business.

“As part of this project I‘ll be running training sessions across the company to educate people on the purpose of Yammer and I’ll also be looking at ways to improve the site’s content.

“I’ve also been working on the various social media platforms the company is currently active on; analysing how we can improve our future social engagement.

“In my role no day is the same and as an intern I get to be involved with a range of different departments as part of my training.”

Asked as to what made Ascentric a great place to work, Bethan said: “Ascentric is a really fun and engaging place to work and the experience I’m gaining will provide me with invaluable knowledge and skills.

“I‘m confident that the work I’m doing here will help me to be more successful with my degree and will provide me with the necessary skills to further my career opportunities.

“I would definitely recommend working at Ascentric and I’m really looking forward to the rest of my time here.”

The Bath Skills Show will culminate in an event on Wednesday, November 8 at the Bath Pavilion.

At the showcase, potential employers and employees will come together to share what they have to offer each other.